PASTOR’S NOTES

With the Church of New York we should rejoice at the ordination of the diaconate class of 2010. For me it is a special joy to acknowledge the call of a former parishioner, Jack Shea to this role. As in the case of most of his classmates this parishioner of Saints John and Paul Parish had served the church in many ministries such as lector, eucharistic minister, catechist, and youth worker before discerning a sacramental vocation. He joins Deacon James Brown who has blessed that faith community with his service for over twenty-five years.

Here at Saint Stanislaus Kostka we are gratified to have Deacon John Dunn assisting all of us to become more devoted Catholics. He not only is a liturgical leader as he witnesses marriages and celebrates baptisms,  he proclaims the Word from the pulpit and in various instructional venues especially in RCIA. Additionally, Deacon serves the imprisoned and is a sign of God’s mercy and Christian hope.

Because of the upcoming ceremonies I thought it might be appropriate to spend some time reflecting on the diaconate role in the Church.. In 2005 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published the latest National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States. In this document our leaders reminded us: “The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council taking seriously the role of the deacon in which St. Paul refers in the first letter to Timothy, remind us that those who serve well as deacons gain good standing, and much confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.’ It was for serious pastoral and theological reasons that the Council decided to reestablish the order of deacons as a permanent rank in the hierarchy of the Church.”(27) The note must be made that the Sacrament of Holy Orders has always contained the three orders of bishop, priest, and deacon. We witness in the Acts of the Apostles the call of Stephen and his six contemporaries to the ministry of service which is the diaconate. They were to look after the needs of the widows and orphans of the community. Their successors did the same. Many of them were martyred. The Church recalls the example of Saint Lawrence. Some of these saintly men were among the most gifted theologians and teachers. Most notable is Saint Ephrem. For various reasons the order of deacons ceased to be independent of the road to priesthood. For example, I was ordained a deacon with my classmates on March 25, 1972. The year I was ordained a priest (1973) was also the year Cardinal Cooke ordained the first class of permanent deacons. It must be understood that this restoration by Paul VI was not the result of a priestly shortage (at the time there was none). This is a unique calling to be “sustained by the grace of the Sacrament, in the ministry (diakonia) of the liturgy, of the word and of charity are at the service of the People of God, in communion with the Bishop and his priests.” These words of John Paul II in the synodal exhortation: Ecclesia in America give the raison d’etre for this contemporary gift of the Holy Spirit. This is not merely a voluntary position. “The diaconate is lived in a particular powerful way in the manner in which a deacon fulfills his obligations to his secular occupation, to his civic and public responsibilities, and among his family and neighbors. This, in turn, enables the deacon to bring back to the Church an appreciation of the meaning and value of the Gospel as he discerns it in the lives and questions of the people he has encountered. In his preaching and teaching, the deacon articulates the needs and the hopes of the people he has experienced, thereby animating, motivating, and facilitating a commitment among the lay faithful to an evangelical service in the world.” (58)

In April of this year the Center for Applied Research located at Georgetown University reported to the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: A Portrait of the Permanent Diaconate. Some of their majority findings were the following: over twenty-one local churches have more than two hundred permanent deacons, including New York. The total number in our country is estimated around seventeen thousand. Over ninety-two percent are married; four percent are widowed, and two percent have never been married. (Church law requires an unmarried person to remain celibate. He makes that promise during the ordination rite. A deacon who experiences the loss of his spouse cannot remarry unless special permission is obtained from the Vatican.) The diaconate is an aging population. Six out of every ten are over sixty. This is a result of the fact that the bishops normally do not want to consider aspirants who have minor children. The church documents recognize that family should be a priority. Approximately one in four have a graduate degree. Though by ecclesial law deacons are not to be compensated, many hold positions in the church which call for support such as hospital ministry, parish management, social service, catechetical coordination, and prison chaplaincy. The Directory calls for and most dioceses require post-ordination formation as well as an annual retreat.

At the ceremony next Saturday the ordinandi will hear these words upon which we can all reflect: “Like those once chosen by the Apostles for the ministry of charity, you should be men of good reputation, filled with wisdom and the Holy Spirit. Firmly rooted and grounded in faith, you are to show yourselves chaste and beyond reproach before God and man, as is proper for the ministers of Christ and the stewards of God’s mysteries. Never allow yourselves to be turned away from hope offered by the Gospel. Now you are not only hearers of the Gospel but also its ministers. Holding the mystery of faith with a clear conscience, express by your actions the word of God which your lips proclaim, so that the Christian people, brought to life by the Spirit, may be a pure offering accepted by God, Then on the last day, when you go out to meet the Lord you will be able to hear Him say: “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Pray for our new deacons and all those men who generously have accepted this call of service.

Vivat Jesus

Fr. Brian